Does going to a private school guarantee a scholarship?

The life of a star high school athlete should be relatively
straight forward. Your job is to study hard, practice harder, stay out of
trouble, and wait for the scholarship offers to start rolling in. In the world
of college recruiting this is a reactive approach.
Sure, the student is doing all of the right things on and off the field, but
quite often this may not be enough. Taking on this mindset could have you end
up like a friend of mine, a friend who shortly after winning the Class A State
Championship in November of his senior year, had still not heard from a single
college by January.

My friend, let’s call him “Cam”, had been playing football since he was 8 years old. From a young age Cam dominated the gridiron. He played almost every position early on but excelled at the quarterback position and had the natural leadership qualities that are so important to commanding the

offense. By the time he was in the 8th grade, Cam was an unstoppable force in his final year of little league. When it came time to decide which high school to attend, Cam’s father, (we’ll call “Tom”) was ready to make a large investment to send him to a prestigious private school. To the tune of 10,000 dollars a year for tuition, Tom was betting big on Cam’s future. The all-boys Catholic high school had been to the state championship 11 times over the past 20 years, and would offer a great opportunity for Cam to come on board and make an impact right away.

Does winning a state title guarantee a scholarship?

By October of Cam’s senior year, it would appear that Tom’s
bet was going to pay off. The team had an 8-1 record, a top seed in the
playoffs, and Cam was having the best season of his young career. Everything on
the surface appeared to be going very well, but underneath there was a lot of
anxiety when it came to garnering interest from colleges.

“… Cam is our oldest, and when it came to the
recruiting process, we were a little lost. We thought Cam’s coach would take an
active role in promoting Cam both on and off the field. But he did next to
nothing to market what Cam could do. By late December, we had no idea where or
if he’d be able to play football in college.” – Tom

You own the recruiting process

I know from personal and anecdotal experience that not all
high school coaches are this passive and uninvolved. Some coaches have
relationships with college recruiters all over the country and will actively
work to promote their players. Whereas other coaches just want to coach and
that’s where their job ends. No matter what kind of coach your kid has in high
school, the key is to be proactive in
the recruiting journey and not reactive.

Tom was fed up. He was paying just shy of 10k a year for Cam to attend the high school of one of the most elite football programs in the state, and his coach was doing nothing to help him get to the next level. Tom and Cam decided to get proactive. They started sending emails with highlight clips to college coaches all over the region. The two hit the road and started going to college games to go talk to coaches in person. After a few weeks of emailing, calling, and driving all over to various campuses, their proactive work paid off.

Cam was offered a “preferred walk-on” opportunity with a
Division II program in his home state. The preferred walk-on status would allow
for Cam to work hard and potentially earn a scholarship to help pay for school.

“In the end, I’m happy where Cam
ended up. But if I could go back in time, I would have started proactively
reaching out to colleges in Cam’s Sophomore or Junior year. I see a lot of parents
left in the dark when it comes to the world of recruiting, but if I could offer
any advice, it would be to get started early and to be as proactive as
possible.” – Tom

It’s your freshman year in high school and you loving playing sports, you’d like to continue playing in college. So the question is, what should you be doing to position yourself for a playing at the next level?

Below is list of items you need to keep in mind to reach your goals:

Register for the NCAA Clearinghouse – In an article we published a few years back, we shared heartbreaking story about one of his student-athletes. After committing to her top college, she was notified by the NCAA that (2) of her “Core” classes did not meet current standards. The college in this case pulled the scholarship and went with another athlete.

Work with your guidance counselor to map out your classes. You need to understand the NCAA or NAIA academic requirements.

Study hard, this is the time to build up your grade point average by concentrating on your studies and take courses that will build a college-prep curriculum foundation

Visit some colleges, yes start your freshman year. This will be one of the biggest decisions you’ll make and the visits are a very important part of the recruiting process. You need to find the right place, the one that truly feels right to you.

Begin to list your top colleges and consider these guidelines:

Location – how far away are you willing to be away from home. If it’s more than a few hours, know your parents may not see as many games as you’d like.

Do they have your field of study and are they known for this degree?

Can you be competitive at this level? DI schools only select less than 1% of athletes. DII and DII programs offer very competitive programs, make sure you see a game during your visit. You made be surprised at the speed of their game.

Understand the club organizations or leagues outside of high school that offer a competitive environment to develop your skills. One great travel program can open doors to more knowledgeable coaches and provide a platform for regional or national tournaments.

Let your high school and club coaches know you’d like to play in college, so when they are talking with college coaches they can share your interest in play at the next level. Your coaches are there to help you both on and off the field, but don’t expect them to do all the work. They recruiting process is something you and your parents must own.

Consider attending a local college camp or combine to see how compare to other athletes. These camps will also provide some exposure to college coaches, since they are often staffed by coaches from surrounding DII and DII schools.

Listen to Kendall Spencer on his college sports experiences, there’s more opportunity than just playing the game

Kendall Spencer is a former track student-athlete at the University of New Mexico. He is a former chair of Student-Athlete Advisory Committee (SAAC) for Division I. Learn more about SAAC.

More resources to help you understand the college sports experience

Want to play college sports? – Register with the NCAA Eligibility Center to ensure you have met amateurism standards and are academically prepared for college coursework.

Probability of going pro – There are nearly half a million NCAA athletes and the reality is that very few of them will go on to play sports professionally. See the stats.

Investing where it matters – There is a lot of talk about how much money college sports generates. But did you know that almost all NCAA revenue goes back to NCAA schools, conferences and student-athletes? Learn more.

NCAA After the Game™ – We know that most college athletes will go pro in something other than sports. NCAA After the Game is a resources for former college athletes of all ages. It’s the go-to place for help in succeeding on the biggest court of all…life.

Begin sending your profile to colleges on your list. Include every division I,II and III program in the states you’d like to attend school.

Another way to get you in front of your favorite college is to fill out online forms listed on most college web sites. Search for colleges on your list and look for the prospective student-athlete form. These forms are read by assistant coaches and sent on to the head coach if they find and interesting prospect.

Remember coaches are looking for Student-Athletes to represent their program, not just a great athlete. Coaches look for great students, good athletes and most of all great people…….tell them why your more than an athlete!

Top 10 questions to ask the college coach during the recruiting process.

Most student-athletes and their family will let the college coach dominate the interview process. The students and their parents should begin to control the process by asking the right questions and understand the coach is making hundreds of calls to other prospects, so find out quickly if there is interest on both sides.

Below are the top 10 questions the student-athlete should ask any college coach or one of their staff members during the one-on-one interview before making a commitment:

1. Based on what you know now, what are my earliest opportunities at playing my position?

2. How many athletes are you recruiting that play my position?

3. How many strong undergraduates are ready to move into the position I play?

4. Do you intend to play me at another position than what I played in high school?

5. What allowances are made for class and exam preparation?

6. Does the athletic program have an off-season schedule?

7. What is the breakdown of the staff, coaches, and their specialties and who will I be working with if I decide to commit to play for your college?

8. If I am offered a partial scholarship, what do I need to do to get a full scholarship?

9. How much money is a typical athletic scholarship worth?

10. If I get hurt, and cannot play anymore, what provisions are available for me in order to keep my scholarship?

The college coach’s main intent is to get the student-athlete to commit, it is very important you ask the right questions so both parties have a clear understand as well as a comfort level before moving to the next step.

During a recent visit with a high school athletic director, he told me a heart breaking story about one of his student-athletes. After committing to her top college, she was notified by the NCAA that (2) of her “Core” classes did not meet current standards. The college in this case pulled the scholarship and went with another athlete.

Don’t become one of those students left on the sidelines because you did not meet the core requirements. The NCAA continues to change their requirements, so unless you are keeping up with the latest NCAA news, you may become one of those sad stories.

Parents and student athletes are responsible for making sure they meet NCAA requirements. Do not rely on high school coaches or athletic directors to manage this process for you. In fact the NCAA does not allow coaches or administrators to manage this process for the student.

Highlight tape discussion…

I recently asked a D1 football coach about his recruiting process, and how he determines who stays on his top prospect list and who’s eliminated. The highlight tape plays a very important role in this process, where a coach can quickly determine if the athlete has the skills to be considered for his team. Since he reviews hundreds of tapes, he asks to keep them less than 3 minutes. “Don’t give me the entire game, just show me your highlights” he said. “If there is interest we will ask for more film”.

What are your highlights saying about you? 2 to 3 minutes does not seem very long. But if you think about it a commercial is only 60 seconds long, but it is critical for the company to convey a certain message in that time.

Key elements of any highlight video

Include your name

Jersey number

Position

Height, Weight

Year

Phone Number

Email

Your Coach’s Name and Contact Information

High School Name and Address

Remember coaches are looking for athletic skill, they can teach you technique, they can’t teach speed and natural athletic ability.

Looking for ideas to put on your highlight tape?

Try the following:

Best plays

Showcase your speed

Balance and agility

Strength and conditioning

Ball handling

Here are some sample videos to get you started. If you need additional help, please feel free to contact us.

Check Out These Sample Highlight Videos:

Daniel Milan, Hockey – Balancing on a Ball and Playing Catch with a Medicine Ball